A rugby club is struggling to survive after 52 years due to a lack of players.

Llanybydder Rugby Club in Carmarthenshire has been struggling to find enough players to field a team each week, with player Wyn Davies, 30, saying it is "quite difficult to take in".

Club manager Nia Evans has urged the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) to give more support to grassroots clubs because "that's where all the rugby players come from".

"It's heartbreaking," she added.

The WRU said they "employ a network of club development officers who reach out to every club… offering help and support" including, recently, to Llanybydder.

Evans said people at the club were "devastated" to find itself with just one team remaining and an uncertain future, with Covid one of the issues impacting the club.

"We've seen lots of players not come back to play rugby, or move to clubs that are bigger [and] play in higher divisions," she said.

"On a weekly basis, it's probably about 12 that I'm able to get together - our faithful players."

Davies is in his 12th season with the club, and said training numbers have shrunk substantially since he joined.

Teammate Dan Jones, 33, described the situation as "heartbreaking".

"Unfortunately, we're at the brunt of it now, because we have hardly any players at all. Other clubs are struggling too.

"They're asking us for players, but we haven't got our own players," he said.

Cai Hamer, 24, another player, said the club was now on a "lifeline".

"It's very bleak. We have hardly played any games this season so far."

"You come across these bigger teams and they've got subs, and subs, and subs - and we're all knackered."

At the club's latest training session, 17 players were present, thanks to an appeal on social media.

Three new members turned up - but getting those players to be available on weekends for matches - is a bigger challenge.

Chairman Michael Wilson said diminished numbers can also lead to injury.

"We'll phone the opposition and they'll say 'come down, we'll give you two players,'" he said.

"On several occasions, we've gone and those two extra players aren't there - so we're starting a game with two less players than the opposition.

"We compete for an hour, and then our boys start getting tired. And then, lo and behold, two or three will get injured because they're trying to do too much.

"And then, the next week we've got a worse problem."

Evans has called on the WRU to do more for grassroots clubs, saying they represent the future of the national team.

"It's important because that's where all the rugby players come from," she said.

"Although they say that they support us, we're not their priority at all."

"I understand the WRU are not there to find us players - that is our responsibility as clubs. But to guide us, and advise us, and support us - that is what we're asking for."

Evans claims clubs are more likely to be penalised than supported, saying there had been "many walkovers" in cup games because the club could not field a team, leading to a £250 fine.

"I do understand the WRU are in financial difficulty themselves, but I don't think it's fair to put that back on grassroot clubs," she said.

"A season or so ago, we couldn't fulfil one fixture out of all the games, and we lost our grant of £4,000. That's quite a lot of money that could help further develop our team."

In a statement, the WRU said: "We employ a network of club development officers across Wales who reach out to every club during the course of a season offering help and support.

"This particular club has been offered this help on two recent occasions.

"Fines for clubs who do not complete fixtures are used as a last resort when attempts to rearrange fixtures have failed, as incentive for clubs to fulfill them. They are welcomed by the majority of clubs throughout the amateur game for this reason."

Llanybydder Rugby Club is now appealing for ideas and support from the public, in an effort to save their historic club.

"The response we've had from our social media [post] is overwhelming to be honest," said Evans. "We've had lots of enquiries from players."

"Hopefully this is us turning the corner and getting the momentum to build the rugby club back up again."